Responsible Conduct in Research

This entire week, I participated as a Facilitator for UNC's Responsible Conduct in Research course, intended for incoming Biomedical graduate students, first year Post-docs, and incoming Junior Faculty. It's been interesting, but I'm sure very overwhelming for the students. I presented one of the topics - Ethics in Animal Research. It was so outside of my comfort zone, mainly because I never did research with animals. At least, not vertebrate animals. (No, sea urchins don't count in this situation.) So I gave my entire presentation on information gleaned from outside sources (Thanks, APS!!!), and luckily for me, I had some help from Tracy Heenan, the Director of UNC's Office and Animal Care and Use, and from Lesley Marson, the Chair of UNC's IACUC. They were absolutely wonderful to work with, and they made the presentation so much better. The breakaway discussions also got the students engaged, which made me feel good. I'm just sad the Turning Point clicker system flaked out on me ... which, believe it or not, got alleviated when I exited the program and re-entered it again, and the fact that my group didn't get their case studies because their sheets just walked away ... ??? ... but all was well in the end, and I'm glad it went well.

So now I can focus on the next things ... like trying to get a job so I can pay my bills ... preparing a lab practicum for my students at Campbell (they're going to be analyzing a note by examining the ink on the paper) ... relearning Boëlmann's Toccata from his Suite Gothique in time for PipeScreams! in October, and I have just under 2 months to get that firmly secure ...

More Gawad Kalinga

I just did the coolest thing - thanks to my friend Jorge Zaballero (maraming maraming salamat, po!), I went bowling for the first time since high school. It was fun! And, it was all for a good cause, to support Gawad Kalinga. They called it "Bowling for a Cause." The proceeds from that, as well as the associated raffles and silent auctions, were to benefit GK. We've already had a Carolinas village built in the Phils., and with more fundraising and support, we're going to be able to have more built. It is, indeed, a great cause, and an excellent way to ensure our Spirit of Bayanihan lives on.

I will still approach the local Gawad Kalinga organisers about my idea of giving an organ recital, with all the proceeds from either a Free-Will or Suggested Donation to go toward Gawad Kalinga.

More later ...

Gawad Kalinga

Gawad Kalinga (GK) (http://www.gawadkalinga.org) translated in English means to "to give care", and it is an alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty not just in the Philippines but in the world. GK's vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.

There are people in the Triangle area who are active in GK, and for the past few years, the offering plate during Simbang Gabi Masses in December have been designated to building a GK Carolinas village in the Philippines.

So a thought had come to my mind yesterday after Mass. I chatted with Jorge Zaballero, who himself is active in GK. I offered to give an organ recital as a fundraiser for GK. Jorge seemed to think that was a good idea. We'll see where this goes. It would certainly be for an excellent cause. And, it would be a great way for Local Borns like me to contribute to the spirit of Bayanihan in helping out in whatever way I can.

Music for 19 August - 12th Sunday After Pentecost

August 19: Pentecost 12

Prelude: Prelude in g minor (attr. Bach; probably by J. T. Krebs)
Pro: God the Omnipotent King (RUSSIA)
Seq: Lo! what a cloud of witnesses encompass us around (ST. FULBERT)
Off: They cast their nets in Galilee (GEORGETOWN)
Sanctus: Community Mass (Proulx)
Comm: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele (Brahms)
Re: Judge eternal, throned in splendor (KOMM, O KOMM, DU GEIST DES LEBENS)
Postlude: Fugue in g minor (attr. Bach; probably by J. T. Krebs)

(Service music for Chapel of the Cross (Episcopal) in Chapel Hill, NC)

101 Ways To Tell If You’re Filipino

I've always been sure about who and what I am. I am a Filipino. It's often said that our culture defines what we are. How we see ourselves is more likely how other people will see us. We're a sunny kind of people. We laugh at hard times and we smile in spite of everything. The typical Filipino is more likely to take an optimistic view of things, even if things are really bad. One of our better traits is our ability to laugh at ourselves. We'd laugh even if it were ourselves we're laughing at.

Though we're a very mixed race, everything we do is distinctly Filipino. Our identity almost always shows wherever we are. Confused about your identity? Don't know how Filipino you really are? Well, here's a not-so-scientific way to find out. See if you'll find yourself nodding your head more than you're shaking it. You might find that these 101 things are a lot truer than if you took out your birth certificate.

1. You point with your lips.
2. You eat using hands and you have it down to a technique.
3. Your other piece of luggage is a balikbayan box.
4. You nod upwards to greet someone.
5. You put your foot up on your chair and rest your elbow on your knee while eating.
6. You think that half-hatched duck eggs are a delicacy.
7. You have to kiss your relative on the cheek as soon as you enter the room.
8. You're standing next to eight big boxes at the airport.
9. You collect items from hotels or restaurants "for souvenir."
10. You smile for no reason.
11. You flirt by having a foolish grin in your face while raising your eyebrows repeatedly.
12. You go to a department store and try to bargain the prices.
13. You use an umbrella for shade on hot summer days.
14. You scratch your head when you don't know the answer.
15. You never eat the last morsel of food on the table.
16. You like bowling.
17. You know how to play pusoy and mahjong.
18. You find dried up morsels of rice stuck on your shirt.
19. You prefer to sit in the shade instead of basking in the sun.
20. You add an unwarranted "H" to your name, i.e. "Jhun," Bhoy," "Rhon."
21. You put hands together in front of you as if to make a path and say "excuse, excuse" when you pass in between people or in front of the TV.
22. Your middle name is your mother's maiden name.
23. You like everything imported or "state-side. "
24. You check the labels on clothes to see where it was made before buying.
25. You hang your clothes out to dry.
26. You are perfectly comfortable in a squatting position with your elbows resting on your knees.
27. You consistently arrive 30 minutes late for all events.
28. You always offer food to all your visitors.
29. You say "comfort room" instead of "bathroom."
30. You say "for take out" instead of "to go"
31. You say "open" or "close" the light.
32. You ask for a "pentel-pen" or a "ball-pen" instead of just "pen."
33. You asked for "Colgate" instead of "toothpaste."
34. You refer to the refrigerator as the "ref" or "pridyider."
35. You say "kodakan" instead of take a picture.
36. You order a McDonald's instead of "hamburger"(pronounced ham-boor-jer)
37. You say "Ha" instead of "What."
38. You say "Hoy" get someone attention.
39. You answer when someone yells "Hoy."
40. You turn around when someone says "Psst"
41. You say "Cutex" instead of "nail polish."
42. You say "he" when you mean "she" and vice versa.
43. You say "array" instead of "ouch."
44. Your sneeze sounds like "ahh-ching" instead of "ahh-choo."
45. You prefer to make acronyms for phrases such as "OA: for over acting or "TNT" for, well, you know.
46. You say "air con" instead of "a/c" or air conditioner.
47. You say "brown-out" instead of "black-out."
48. You use a "walis ting-ting" or "walis tambo" as opposed to a conventional broom.
49. You have a "Weapons of Moroland" shield hanging in the living room wall.
50. You have a portrait of "The Last Supper" hanging in your dining room.
51. You own a karaoke system.
52. You own a piano that no one ever plays.
53. You have a tabo in the bathroom.
54. Your house has too many burloloys.
55. You have two to three pairs of tsinelas at your doorstep.
56. Your house has an ornate wrought iron gate in front of it.
57. You have a rose garden.
58. You have a shrine of the "Santo Niño" in your living room.
59. You have a "barrel man" (you pull up the barrel and you see something that looks familiar. Schwing...)
60. You cover the living room furniture with bedsheets.
61. Your lampshades still have the plastic cover on them.
62. You have plastic runners to cover the carpets in your house.
63. You refer to your VCR as a "beytamax."
64. You have a rice dispenser.
65. You own a turbo boiler.
66. You own one of those fiber optic flower lamps.
67. You own a lamp with oil that drips down the strings.
68. You have a giant wooden fork and spoon hanging somewhere in the dining room.
69. You have a giant wooden tinikling dancer on the wall.
70. You have capiz shells chandeliers, lamps, or placemats.
71. You have a Mercedes Benz and you call it "chedeng."
72. You own a huge van conversion.
73. Your car chirps like a bird or plays a tune when it is in reverse.
74. Your car horn can make 2 or 3 different sounds.
75. Your car has curb feelers or curb detectors.
76. Your car has too many "burloloys" like a Jeepneys back in P.I.
77. You hang a rosary on your car's rear view mirror.
78. You have an air freshener in your car.
79. You have aunts and uncles named "Baby," "Girlie," or "Boy."
80. You were raised to believe that every Filipino is a aunt, uncle or cousin.
81. Your Dad was in the Navy.
82. Your mom or sister or wife is a nurse.
83. You have a family member or relative that works in the Post Office.
84. Your parents call each other "Mommy" and "Daddy" or "ma" and "pa."
85. You have family member that has a nickname that repeats itself, i.e."Deng-Deng, " Ling-Ling" or "Bing-Bing"
86. You put hot dogs in your spaghetti.
87. You consider dilis the Filipino equivalent to French fries.
88. You think that eating chocolate rice pudding and dried fish is a great morning meal.
89. You order things like tapsilog, tocsilog, or longsilog at restaurants.
90. You instinctively grab a toothpick after each meal.
91. You order a "soft drink" instead of a "soda."
92. You dip bread in your morning coffee.
93. You refer to seasonings and all other forms of monosodium glutamate as "Ajinomoto."
94. Your cupboards are full of Spam, Vienna Sausage, Ligo, and Corned Beef, which you refer to as Karne Norte.
95. Goldilocks means more to you than just a character in a fairy tale.
96. You appreciate a fresh pot of rice.
97. You bring your "baon" most of the time to work.
98. Your "baon" is usually something over rice.
99. Your neighbors complain about the smell of tuyo on Sunday mornings.
100. You eat rice for breakfast.
101. You use your fingers to measure the water when cooking rice.

Here we go, again

So why is it that, whenever people hear me speak, they always ask where am I from, and when I respond, "San Diego," that doesn't seem to satisfy them?

While I was "directing traffic" at last night's Forensic Science class (students were being taken, one by one, to examine the "crime scene" in a separate room), one of the students asked me where I was from. I told her, "San Diego." Her response: "Where are you really from?"

Okay, just because I don't speak with the "proper" accent for this area (my friend Chris L., who is a Fayetteville, NC native, can turn his Southern accent on and off at will; I don't have such an accent, despite the fact I was born in Charleston, SC), does this mean that I automatically have to be branded as different? What so unusual about hearing a kind of hybrid accent coming out of someone who looks like me (check out my picture to the left - I certainly don't look like any Southern Belle now, do I?) ...

This brings me back to a very interesting exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. This was in their Truth exhibit. You come to a panel of a wide variety of different people, male and female, white and black and brown and every other colour imaginable, and your task is to match the face with the voice. Who would have thought that an apparently Chinese looking woman would be speaking with a strong Jamaican accent, a Black man speaking with the stuffiest British accent you can imagine, a Japanese looking woman speaking with a strong Spanish (specific to Peru) accent, etc.? My former roommate, Anita C., spoke with a British accent that my British friends had pin-pointed where her accent would have originated (don't recall the area now), but guess what - she's from Hong-Kong and went to English Medium Schools. Another friend, Iman Kh., was born in Egypt, and raised in Luxembourg and Switzerland. If you hear her speak, you would have guessed that her first language was French and that she spent her life in a French-speaking country.

Looks aren't everything. It used to annoy me immensely when I get judged as "foreigner" solely on the basis of my accent and my looks. It still annoys me today, but not as much as before. I just marvel at how ignorant some people can apparently be, even in this supposedly more enlightened day and age.

Improv, lots of Improv

AAAAAGH!

So I didn't make the wisest choice this week. Went off to Costco with a friend on Tuesday, and while there, I got the latest Harry Potter. I told myself I wouldn't do it until I finished up my service this coming Sunday at Holy Family, especially with some of the odd settings of the Ordinary I'm asked to learn. But no, it was calling my name, so I picked it up. I've been spending the last two days in Potterland and admittedly, enjoying it heaps. Of course, I really should have been: 1) Preparing for the Forensics Course that I'm team-teaching with 5 others; and 2) Chain myself to an organ near me to learn all this music I have to play on Sunday. I've done neither.

So I turn up to class this afternoon, and the Cary Lieutenant who is heading the class shows me and the other professors the "crime scene" that will form the basis of the students' practicum this semester. Very simple thing, really. I won't go into much detail here (maybe later). I had to give a ca. 15-20 minute talk about the Chemists' Perspective as far as Crime Scene Investigations are concerned. So I'm "flying by the seat of my pants," so to speak (I guess you can call it Improv) as I have done absolutely no preparation, outside of the reading I did on the day of Lee T's father's funeral. Thanks to the American Chemical Society, there was an article in one of their publications about chemists and forensics, and so I based my introductory talk heavily on that. It also helped when I had a look at the crime scene that was laid out in another room.

So I did my thing ... and amazingly enough, some of the students came up to me during one of the breaks and told me they appreciated professors coming in prepared for their classes, and it was obvious that I prepared for it!!!!!

Boy, am I a good faker or what??? I know I can't get away with that for long, so I'm really going to have to get my butt into gear and read. So I'm going to consider the reading and answering of questions as a kind of "study break" from the learning of music I have to do over the next couple of days ...

But ... I think I will partake in a Choral Celebration tomorrow (Friday) evening at Duke Chapel. It's a Hinshaw thing:

http://www.hinshawmusic.com/celevents.html

... and the only thing I'll be attending will be the concert. Should be a good one.

Music for 5 August - 10th Sunday After Pentecost

I'm doing the sub thing again, this time at Holy Family (Episcopal) Church in Chapel Hill. Here's the music list.

August 5: Pentecost 10

Prelude: Andante from Voluntary V, Op. 6 (John Stanley); Fantasia in d minor (Johann Pachelbel)
Pro: When in our music God is glorified (ENGELBERG)
Hymn of Praise: This is the feast of victory (FESTIVAL CANTICLE)
Seq: Take My Life and Let It Be (HENDON)
Off: He who would valiant be (MONK'S GATE)
Sanctus: Powell
Agnus Dei: Landsmark-DeLewis
Comm: Let saints on earth in concert sing (DUNDEE);
All to Jesus I surrender (from Lift Every Voice and Sing II)
All my hope on God is founded (MICHAEL)
Apparently, no Recessional Hymn.
Postlude: In dir ist Freude (Bach)

Again, I'm repeating prelude and postlude music from last week. At least this time around, I should be able to play a prelude, and hopefully the postlude will go over better on HF's Zimmer than it did on IC's Zimmer.

29 July, Ordinary 17 / 9th Sunday After Pentecost - Edited

I'm doing the sub thing again this Sunday, this time for two different churches.

Church 1: Immaculate Conception, Durham, NC, 7.45 am Mass. I'm the chump at the Grand Orgue, and my buddy Andy Stewart is cantoring. Numbers are from GIA's Gather Comprehensive 1994 (green cover).

Postlude is a recyclable for the first service because my organ teacher said so. And I will, in all likelihood, repeat them for another service I'm playing 5 August.

July 29: Ordinary 17 (Sun. 7.45 am)

Gloria: Andrews
Alleluia: Mode VI; verses to Tone 6F
Sanctus: People's Mass
Mem. Accl., Amen: Danish
Agnus Dei: XVIII, in English

Prelude: Andante from Voluntary V, Op. 6 (John Stanley); Fantasie in d minor (Johann Pachelbel)
Pro: 535 To God with Gladness (CYMBALA; some Joncas thing. Sounds way better on piano, so I'll play that there, doubling on the bass octaves for the last verse.)
Psalm: 134 Ps 138, Refrain III; Haas (can you say syrupy sentimental? Again a piano thing, way too pianistic to work on the organ)
Off: 604 You are near (I'll do this on the organ - thanks to CBW III, I was able to make head and tails out of Sr. Theophane's organ accompaniment)
Comm: 615 Seek Ye First (matches the Gospel of the week well)
Re: 600 Faith of our Fathers (ST. CATHERINE)
Postlude: In dir ist Freude (Bach)

(Edit: I didn't get to play the prelude pieces because Andy came quite late, and there were several things I needed to tell him, plus I needed him to show me how to: 1. unlock the sound board; and 2. operate the wireless hymnboard. Mass went well, but it was difficult to get used to the delay between me and the chancel. I'll admit - I lost track of what verse I was on for "You Are Mine," but luckily for me, I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Fr. Jacek was already pouring wine into the chalice, so I thought, "good, just finish the verse, and stop with the refrain, and it won't matter where I'm at." Perfect timing - just as he finished his ceremonial washing, we finished the refrain.)


Church 2. This one will be at Chapel of the Cross (Episcopal) for their 5.15 pm Rite II Eucharist. Hymnal in the pews is The Hymnal 1982.

July 29: Pentecost 9

Prelude: Prelude in d minor (attr. Bach; probably by J. T. Krebs)
Pro: On this day, the first of days (GOTT SEI DANK)
Seq: We know that Christ is raised and dies no more (ENGELBERG)
Off: O God of Bethel, by whose hand (DUNDEE)
Sanctus: Community Mass (Proulx)
Comm: Allegro from Voluntary V, Op. 7 (John Stanley)
Re: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (HYMN TO JOY)
Postlude: Fugue in d minor (attr. Bach; probably by J. T. Krebs)

So okay, my postlude choice is a bit strange, given my closing hymn. But I just got the music for this service late last night (Thursday), and so I chose my voluntary music before I even know what my hymns were going to be. Yes, I could have played the same thing I was playing at IC; however, I already played those two pieces at earlier services at Chapel of the Cross, and I wasn't about to repeat music there.

I'm going to have a very busy weekend; I'm finding ENGELBERG much harder to play than I expected.

(Heaps of thanks to Nick for his help with the Andrews Gloria ... I just wish the Zimmer I'm playing it on were voiced better for the space that it's in, but there was quite the story behind its reinstallation in the new "worship space" back in 2003 that I don't really care to go into at this point ...)

(Edit: At the late afternoon service, the priest actually started the service a little early. So after only planning 2 minutes of prelude music, I had to provide 7 minutes of it. (Service usually starts with a Laying on of Hands, where people approach the altar rail to seek a blessing for healing of mind, body, and spirit.) So in addition to the d minor Prelude, I also played the Pachelbel d minor Fantasia. Sure, it's a repeat as I played it at Communion for Chapel of the Cross a couple of weeks ago, but that's okay, I hope no one remembered it. There were heaps of people at the service, more than I recalled at a usual summer 5.15pm service, so the Stanley wasn't enough to cover. So I decided to do an improv on "Seek Ye First." It was the Communion Hymn Andy and I picked out for the Catholic Mass, as it fit the Gospel reading well. The Episcopals used the same set of readings for their service. I was very happy with the way that turned out, and the timing was perfect - I finished it right as the last person received. That allowed for some silence during the Purificaiton of the Vessels and the Clearing of the Table. Perfect. Hymns went over well, so I'm glad, and I managed Engleberg. I find it much easier to play in F than in G.)

Katharine Dain, soprano; and Andrew Earis, organ

Here is the program from a wonderful soprano and organ concert I went to last night at Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill. It featured Chapel Hill native Katharine Dain, soprano; and organist Andrew Earis.

Laudate Dominum (Claudio Monteverdi)
Les Angelus (Louis Vierne)
I. Au Matin
II. A Midi
III. A Soir
Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera (Antonio Vivaldi)
I. Aria
II. Recitative
III. Aria
IV. Alleluia
"The Black River" (Gavin Bryars)
Fantasia of Four Parts (organ) (Orlando Gibbons)
"A Divine Hymn" (Henry Purcell)
"An Evening Hymn" (Purcell)

The Bryars piece is his setting of Jules Verne's Vingt Milles Lieues Sous Les Mers (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), Part I., Chapter XIV. It was an exquisite marriage of word and text, and Earis' accompaniments were brilliant. Their encore piece was George Gershwin's "Summertime". Very nicely done.

Song lyrics

Just for the fun of it ... here are the lyrics to one of the songs in my playlist.
The original link is here:

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/laputa/lyrics_nosete_jis.txt

--

Kimi o nosete (Carrying you)
"Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa" ending theme (1986)

ano chiheisen  kagayaku no wa
dokoka ni kimi o kakushite iru kara
takusan no hi ga natsukashii no wa
ano doreka hitotsu ni  kimi ga iru kara
saa   dekake you  hitokire no PAN
NAIFU  RAMPU  kaban ni tsumekonde

*tou-san ga nokoshita  atsui omoi
kaa-san ga kureta  ano manazashi
chikyuu wa mawaru  kimi o kakushite
kagayaku hitomi  kirameku tomoshibi
chikyuu wa mawaru  kimi o nosete
itsuka kitto deau  bokura o nosete



The reason the horizon shines
is that somewhere it's hiding you.
The reason I long for the many lights
is that you are there in one of them.
So, I set out, with a slice of bread,
a knife, a lamp, stuffed in a bag.

*Father left me his burning desire.
 Mother gave me her eyes.
 The earth turns, hiding you.
 Shining eyes, twinkling lights.
 The earth turns, carrying you,
 carrying us both who'll surely meet.

* Repeat

Carlo Curley Concert Program

Carlo Curley

Presented on July 12, 2007, at St. Francis United Methodist Church, Allen Renaissance Heritage organ (new installation)

Note: this entire program was done from memory ...

Largo from Symphony No. 9 From the New World Op. 95 (Antonin Dvorak, arr. Curley)

Sinfonia in D Wir danken dir Gott from Cantata No. 29 BWV 29/1 (J. S. Bach; arr. Curley)

Aria for Strings from XII Concerto Grosso (G. F. Handel; arr. Curley)

Voluntary in F "A Fancy" (John Stanley; arr. Thalben-Ball)

Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C BWV 564 (Bach)

Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde (Richard Wagner; arr. Curley)

Entry of the Nobles, Grand March from Act II of Tannhäuser (Wagner; arr. Curley)

Introduction and Trumpet Tune in D (Stanley)

Interlude in C (Sir Walford Davies)

Prelude and Fugue in g minor Op. 7, No. 3 (Marcel Dupré)

Andante in F (J. L. Dussek; arr. Thalben-Ball)

Londonderry Air (arr. Archer)

Toccata on an American Theme from West Side Story (Stefan Lindblad)

Ann Elise Smoot and Simon Lindley - Concert Programs

This week, the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is having their Carolina Course for Girls and Adults and Organ Institute. It's a week including nightly organ recitals, organ Masterclasses, and Choir and Vocal technique building. For me, I'm just interested in the organ recitals, and if I could, swing by to listen in on the Masterclasses.

There are three organ recitals this week, the first was performed by Ann Elise Smoot, and tonight's was presented by Simon Lindley. Their programs are as follows. Carlo Curley's will be posted tomorrow evening.

Ann Elise Smoot

Presented on July 9, 2007, at Chapel of the Cross (Episcopal), Kleuker Organ

Toccata in F, BuxWV 156 (Dietrich Buxtehude)
Three Pieces from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (Giles Farnaby):
- Tower Hill
- Tell mee, Daphne
- The Lady Zouches Maske
Chorale Partita Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig (J. S. Bach)
Theme and Variations in D (Felix Mendelssohn)
Allegro, Choral and Fugue (Mendelssohn)
Offerte du 5ème ton (Vive le Roy des Parisiens) (André Raison)
Partita sopra Nun freut euch (Lionel Rogg):
i. Choral
ii. Bicinium
iii. Canon
iv. Presto
v. Recit
vi. Passacaglia
vii. Toccata
Miroir (Ad Wammes)
From Suite Médiévale: iv. Méditation (Communion) (Jean Langlais)
Fête (Langlais)

Simon Lindley

Presented on July 11, 2007, at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Möller/Schantz organ

The Archbishop's Fanfare (Francis Jackson)
Hymn Prelude: East Acklam (Jackson)

Four Extemporizations: Carol - Divertimento - Fidelis - Fanfare (Percy William Whitlock)

Spring Song (Alfred Hollins)
A Trumpet Minuet (Hollins)

Romanza and Allegretto (William Wolstenholme)

Evening Song (Edward Bairstow)

Sonata in G, Op. 28 (Edward Elgar):
- Allegro maestoso
- Allegretto
- Andante espressivo
- Presto [comodo]

I Love Filipinos!

Yesterday, I flew home from Toronto. At the Toronto airport, the person who checked my boarding pass as I boarded a shuttle bus to take me to my terminal asked me if I was Filipino. I responded, "Opo." He then proceeded to ask me, in Tagalog, if I was going home. Now coming from a Filipino, I interpreted "home" to be "going to the Philippines." I responded back, in English, that I was going to North Carolina. He said, you don't speak Tagalog? I said my box of Tagalog was very small, but that I understand it. He then asked me where my parents were from, so I responded (mum from Baliuag, dad from Mandaluyong). So with that, he said it was nice chatting, sige at ingat. I responded, "Paalam, po."

Filipinos are so cool. I love how friendly they are, especially when they recognise other Filipinos. I experience that in North Carolina as well. I meet a Filipino, and s/he will recognise me as one, so then a greeting will follow. It's really nice to feel a part of the Filipino diaspora. Home isn't so far away, after all.

A "Yikes!" Moment

This morning, I was on the way to see Casa Loma and the Spadina Museum. I got off the subway and walked up Spadina until it ended at Davenport. There was an area with benches right at the corner of Spadina and Davenport, so I sat there for a few minutes, looking over my Toronto guidebook, and steeling my strength for climbing all those stairs leading to the Casa Loma and Spadina Museum. (I think those stairs are called the Baldwin stairs, but don't quote me on that.) So I got up, crossed the street, and went up the first flight of stairs. I then heard a loud noise below. I turned around, and saw a car, swerving to the right to avoid a line of cars behind the traffic light on Davenport. The car hit the benches I was sitting at, and then after rolling over on the roof, came to rest between two trees on Spadina. People came running to see what they can do to help. My thoughts turned to an elderly Chinese woman and (presumably) her son, who were sitting next to me on the bench. I hope they moved away, because if they didn't, the car would have hit them and then ...

There were two people in the car, and they were able to crawl out of the car. The emergency personnel responded within 5 minutes of the accident, and within minutes, an ambulance, a couple of police cars, and a couple of fire trucks were on the scene. It's a lucky thing that only two people were hurt and that no one was killed. Steam emanated from the car, which the fire personnel quickly dealt with.

So after sitting there, stunned, I continued my trek up the stairs and then onward to Casa Loma, followed by the Spadina Museum.

After I saw both places, I went back to where the accident occurred this morning. It didn't hit me until then about the timing of it all. The car came careening by 5 minutes after I left the bench and crossed the street. How would things have turned out if I were still sitting on the bench ...

After pondering that for a while, and seeing the trees and such uprooted, and bark stripped, I left the area, headed back to the subway, and went back to the heart of downtown Toronto.

Congee Queen!!!

Yesterday (3 July), I had the pleasure of eating at the absolute best Chinese restaurant I have ever eaten in. It beats all of the places I've eaten in NC by a million miles! They are Congee Queen, http://www.congeequeen.com/ , and their food is amazingly good. We started off with their Seafood Super Bowl Congee. I love the flavour, the texture, and I just couldn't stop eating it. Of course, me being Filipino, I wish they had patis-mansi on the side (fish sauce, has to be Filipino style, not the weaker and more sweet Thai style, and mansi is short for calamansi, Citrofortunella microcarpa, or Calamondin orange), but not having that definitely does not detract from the wonderful way they did their congee. A deep-fried dough object was served along with the congee. It was donut-like, without the powdered sugar. But somehow, it worked well with the congee.

We had a variety of other foods as well (Chef Special Fried Rice, Fried Thick Noodle with Shrimp and Shredded Pork, Shanghai style, Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli, Stir-Fried Beef with Ginger and Green Onion, Deep-Fried Shrimp Wonton (excellent, by the way), Deep-Fried Pork Chop (also yum), and Spice-and-Pepper Salt Squid. There was hot tea a-flowing, which I found a little weak, but it was very helpful in aiding the digestion of all the oily foods. We ended it all with Taro Bubble Tea. Excellent bubble tea, runs heaps of rings around the concoction they called bubble tea that I had back in NC. Total yum!

We had 13 people at this dinner party (11 adults, two kids), and the food was more than sufficient - we took home leftovers.

Unfortunately, it appears this restaurant only exists in Toronto (two locations). I wish there was a Congee Queen near me. I guess after I leave Toronto, the best way for me to get my Congee Queen fix would be to go to the website and drool ...

Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal

Okay, so shoot me. I, along with 5 other friends, decided to play hooky from the conference goings today and go into Montréal. We hired a van, total damage was 575$ plus tip. Not bad, especially as the van driver was an excellent tour guide as well.

One of the places we visited was, of course, the Notre-Dame Basilica (http://www.basiliquenddm.org). Much to my surprise, they charged a 4$ admission fee. According to their guide:

An admission fee was introduced in January 1999 to help defray the costs of conserving and restoring the building. No contribution is required, however, to attend Mass, participate in other religious services, or for personal prayer.

Hmmm. So if you just wanted to go in to pray, and not to be a tourist, could you get out of paying the 4$??? I didn't feel that strangely about going into a church since I visited St. Patrick's in New York, when I got a definite moneychangers in the temple feel when I walked in there.

Anyway, I picked up a bulletin, and I started to drool. Here's why. If you're going to be in Montréal over the next couple of months, you ought to swing on by for their International Festival of Organs of Notre-Dame of Montréal (my rough translation of the French).

Here's my rather rough translation. Read it and drool.

Every Sunday nights at 7.00 pm (except 24 June), there will be organ recitals presented at the Basilica of Notre-Dame. For its fourth season, the festival will present three special concerts (***) and two concerts (**) dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the priests of Saint-Sulpice.

24 June **Studio of Ancient Music; Benoît Marineau, Titular Organist, Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours

1 July Frédéric Roberge

8 July ***Marie-Claire Alain, France

15 July ***Olivier Latry, Titular Organist, Notre-Dame-de-Paris, France

22 July Laurent Martin

29 July Pierre Grandmaison

5 August Isabelle Demers

12 August **Pierre Grandmaison (Le chemin de croix de Marcel Dupré)

19 August Yves Préfontaine

26 August ***Daniel Roth, Titular Organist, Saint-Sulpice de Paris

... drool ... makes me wish I can afford to stick around after my conference is over ...

Montréal, here I come!

I'll be heading to Montréal early tomorrow (6/26) morning to attend a conference organised by the International Cannabinoid Research Society (http://www.cannabinoidsociety.org/). It will be held at the Manoir Saint-Sauveur (http://www.manoir-saint-sauveur.com/ENG/index.html), a 4-star hotel that is located about an hour northwest of Montréal. If I remember, I'll take my camera (my trusty Canon AE-1) and take as many photos as time permits. I hope to be able to duck away from the conference and explore Montréal, but from my experience, this conference keeps you busy, and there are always some very interesting talks and poster sessions to attend.

The program is posted here: http://www.cannabinoidsociety.org/SYMPOSIUM.2007/2007.ICRS.Program.pdf

And yes, my work will be presented; however, my esteemed colleague Dr. Herb Schuel will be doing the presentation.

Once the conference is over, I will be on a train, headed to Toronto to visit my friends Raymond and Roselle Chua and their two daughters. It should be a wonderful week, starting off with July 1 being Canada Day.

More later ...

Under Construction in North Carolina

Just for kicks and grins, I decided to create a Myspace page. Naturally, this will be a work in progress.

More later ...

http://www.myspace.com/lyn_f